Open wound and blood??? Please answer...concerned mommy!!!

Jun 21, 2012

Hello-
I would greatly appreciate a response as I have been so concerned, and thinking about this non stop for months.

I was playing volleyball in Feb, and the girl I was warming up with started bleeding from her hand and got blood on the ball. Before we noticed the blood, we continued to pass back and forth, and some of the blood from the ball got on my arm/wrist. I don't know the other girl well at all, and have no idea what her HIV or Hep status is. I am VERY scared, because my hands are always cracked from being so dry and chapped. I know my hands were cracked too, because later that same evening, about 15-20 min later, my knuckle cracked open and bled a little.

If the other girls blood got on any part of my wrist/hands that were cracked open from chapped skin (but not bleeding out at the time) am I at risk for HIV, Hep B or C?

I am an occasional blood donor, and I am also a nursing mother who is getting ready to donate extra milk to a milk bank, and I don't want to donate blood or milk if I could be at risk of having anything.

I got tested with NAT for HIV and Hep C at 9 weeks and then had antibody testing done for HIV, Hep B and C at 13 weeks. Are those tests conclusive, as some posts on this site say to test out to 6 months for HIV and 6-12 months for Hep?? Am I ok to continue with my blood and milk donations? Please advise, thank you.

Response from Dr. Hightow-Weidman

Hello there-
You can rest assured that your tests are accurate by 13 weeks and you are not infected. Take care,

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